


if i only had you

by baeconandeggs, onelastchence



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Fluff, M/M, mentions of divorce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-28 04:35:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18749131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/onelastchence/pseuds/onelastchence
Summary: Baekhyun doesn't want a soulmate, not after his parents' relationship crashed and burned. Yet, somehow, some way, his happily ever after walks in through the door.





	if i only had you

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
>   
> 
> **Author's Note:**  
>  to my prompter: i'm sorry if this isn't what you were looking for. i took a lot of liberties with it (so much so you may not. even recognise this as your original prompt, and for that i apologies). regardless, i hope you still enjoy the fic anyways!
> 
> [if i had you](https://external-preview.redd.it/gBdBNzEkuVgzGB3ouoEUiHVUm95c8pGSK-wlzJ1iHf0.png?auto=webp&s=7d568c93d168eb53a9d247565b71b37ddad32183>this</a>%20is%20a%20limbal%20ring.%20title%20inspired%20by%20adam%20lambert's%20<a%20href=).
> 
> thank you to my beta, a, who helped me out with this & listened to me complain about it more often than anyone should be subjected to. to k, m, who pushed me to continue writing when i wanted nothing more than to give up. to c, who taught me how to be brave. to r, without who this fic would not exist. and to the mods of bae, without this fest i would not have ever written baekyeol.
> 
> i hope you enjoy!

_ Soulmate:  _ _ a person ideally suited to another as a close friend or romantic partner. _

* * *

  
  


Baekhyun doesn’t believe in soulmates, let’s just get that straight. It isn’t that he doesn’t believe that they exist, rather he doesn’t believe that just because some higher power decided that you were fated to be with each other, your relationship would work out.

 

Baekhyun would know.

 

He’s seen it. He’s seen the glow, the beautiful shine of his parents’ limbal rings whenever they so much as brushed their hands against each other’s. But he’s also seen the quarrels, the way his mother’s face pinched in hatred and his father’s contorted in rage. He’s seen the black and white of the divorce papers.

 

He would be lying if he said he didn’t  _ want _ a soulmate. Before his parents separated when he was 16, Baekhyun had been something of a romantic, waiting for the day he met his soulmate, when his own limbal rings would glow alongside theirs. The divorce changed everything, however, and Baekhyun never saw the idea of soulmates the same way ever again. 

 

The universe, of course, giant troll that it was, decided that it would be a good idea for him to see soulmates  _ everywhere _ .

 

“ _ Really _ ?” Baekhyun asks when he pushes the door open and sees Jongdae curled up with Junmyeon on the couch for their millionth - okay, it was only the third, but it was  _ enough _ \- time that week. “Why don’t you guys go cuddle somewhere I can’t see you? Like on Junmyeon’s six million won leather couch, or something?”

 

Jongdae looks at him from his extremely precarious spot on Junmyeon’s lap, the bright yellow around his irises startlingly mesmerising in the relative darkness of their living room, the only other sources of light in the room being the one lamp in the corner of the room and Junmyeon’s own bright blue limbal rings shining at him. “Baekhyun,” Jongdae greets, worry in his eyes. “I thought you were working the closing shift at the cafe today.”

 

Baekhyun snorts goodnaturedly, knowing exactly why Jongdae was looking at him like that. “So eager to get rid of me, huh?” He teases, making to turn around and leave the apartment. “I guess I’ll go then, since I’m unwanted-”

 

He’s assaulted, then, by an armful of sweater and whiny kitten smiles, Jongdae nuzzling into his neck affectionately. “No way,” Jongdae mumbles, and Baekhyun laughs. “You’re never unwanted; you know that.”

 

“Of course I know that,” Baekhyun sniffs haughtily, but his hand is already making its way into Jongdae’s hair, petting him gently. “I pay half the rent. You’d be a goner without me.”

 

That has Jongdae smacking him at his side half heartedly, still clinging onto Baekhyun like a barnacle - a very soft, cuddly barnacle, but a barnacle nevertheless. Baekhyun laughs, then waves a little sheepishly at Junmyeon. “Hey, hyung.”

 

Junmyeon jolts out of what Baekhyun assumes had been a stupidly fond gaze at Jongdae and returns his wave with an equally sheepish laugh. “Sorry about this, Baekhyun,” Junmyeon starts, and Baekhyun wants to roll his eyes. Ever since Jongdae had accidentally let the metaphorical cat out of the bag about Baekhyun’s aversion to soulmates, Junmyeon stepped around him like he was constantly afraid of offending him. “Jongdae said you wouldn’t be back for another couple of hours.”

 

Baekhyun waves him off, walking to the couch with some difficulty -  _ barnacle _ , Baekhyun swears - and depositing Jongdae back into his soulmate’s arms. Their eyes immediately light up again at the contact, yellow and blue and  _ beautiful _ . Baekhyun swallows the lump in his throat. “I’m going to shower first,” He says, waltzing into his room, then poking his head out and baring his teeth menacingly. “If you two defile the couch, I will  _ eat _ you.”

 

“No offense,” Jongdae pipes up. “But I feel like I’m being threatened by a cupcake.”

 

There’s a moment of silence in which time seems to have frozen around them, then Baekhyun  _ lunges _ .

* * *

  
  


The next day is a hectic one; Minseok had offered to do the closing shift instead of Baekhyun because he had an emergency meeting with his thesis advisor in the morning, leaving Baekhyun to man the rush hour with only Sehun by his side.

 

Rush hour is always a rush of tapping buttons as quickly as he can input the orders and scribbling names on cups and handing them off to Sehun. As much as Sehun can be a little brat, he’s efficient at what he does, handling 3 blenders at a time and still finding the time to froth milk in between. Baekhyun tells himself that’s why they keep him around, and not because he can be stupidly cute when he wants to be.

 

The line starts to thin out after an hour, the time between rush hour and lunch time slow enough that it’s not hectic, but busy enough that it’s not terribly boring. Sehun busies himself with his essay behind the counter when there aren’t any orders, and it’s 80 minutes into this when Jongdae walks in.

 

“Welcome to LIGHTning-” Sehun starts on auto pilot, voice cutting off when he sees that it’s just Jongdae and burying his head back into his laptop. Jongdae pats him on the head when he rounds the corner of the counter.

 

“Busy morning?” Jongdae asks, moving to the counter and wrapping an arm around Baekhyun’s waist. Baekhyun grabs an apron from the cupboards and hands it to Jongdae, leaning his head against Jongdae’s shoulder. 

 

“Just a little,” Baekhyun replies, hiding a yawn in Jongdae’s shoulder. “Morning rush is always the same, y’know?”

 

Jongdae laughs, removing his arm from Baekhyun’s waist to tie the apron around his own, pinning his nametag on. “Go take a rest,” Jongdae says, nodding towards the staff break room. “Your feet must be aching. I’ll take over for now.”

 

Baekhyun beams his angular smile, making Jongdae laugh even as his partner sends him off with a pat on his butt. Baekhyun hums his way into the break room, collapsing onto the couch that the two of them had somehow managed to stuff into the tiny area years ago when they first opened the coffeeshop.

 

He’s apparently more tired than he had originally thought, aching feet aside, because before he knows it he’s being gently shaken awake by Sehun.

 

“Hyung,” Sehun calls, and Baekhyun awakens with a small shudder, blinking blearily up at his employee. “It’s lunch time, now. We need help with clearing the tables.”

 

Baekhyun nods, yawning even as he catapults himself up using the momentum of his swinging feet. Sehun exits the break room first, supposedly to ensure he can keep up with the volume of orders that always streams in during the office workers’ precious lunch hours of twelve to two. Baekhyun remembers the rat race, of working in a cubicle and having little to zero freedom of expression. Even if the hours standing are a little hard on his feet, Baekhyun is always glad that he had agreed when Jongdae had tentatively proposed the idea of co-owning a coffee shop together.

 

“Afternoon, sunshine,” Jongdae greets when Baekhyun walks out of the break room, one hand covering his mouth as he yawns and the other ruffling the hair at the back of his head. Baekhyun swats at him half heartedly, moving around the counter after grabbing their tray and dish cloth to wipe up the dirty tables.   
  
He sends the customers his trademark angular grin, waving at the regulars and greeting the ones he doesn’t recognise. Some of them send their regards to the barista, when he passes by them, others to the pastry chef. Baekhyun makes sure to pass them on, and Sehun beams with pride when he hears praise from the customers.

 

“Aww, Sehunnie’s all grown up,” Baekhyun coos, pinching Sehun’s cheeks. “Look at all this praise you’re getting! I remember when you first started and couldn’t even work the milk steamer without scaring yourself.”

 

Sehun swats at his hand in annoyance, as expected, but Baekhyun just cackles. He’s used to Sehun’s little nuances after having worked with him for so long, and it doesn’t bother him the way it used to.

 

The line at the cashier lengthens slowly, but gradually, and soon even Sehun is overwhelmed by the number of cups that Jongdae’s scribbling orders onto and sliding his way. Baekhyun ducks behind the counter and grabs the two that Sehun was working on, earning a grateful smile that he easily returns.

 

Baekhyun finishes off the coffee with practiced ease, finishing drinks by blending them with ice cubes or by topping them with a quick, perfect swirl of whipped cream. Sehun hands him cup after cup filled with espresso, some with frothed milk, others containing steaming shots of ristretto and skim soy.

 

Lunch hours always seem shorter than they are; Baekhyun doesn’t count the minutes that go by, but the number of cups that goes through his hands. He’s so caught up in his work that he doesn’t realize it’s over until Jongdae shoos Sehun away for his lunch break, coming up to replace him.

 

Baekhyun glances up, and there is, blessedly, no longer a line at the counter. Another quick glance at the clock tells him it’s a quarter past two, so the people who have orders put in now probably don’t need them in 30 seconds, flat. He heaves a sigh of relief, thanking Jongdae when he’s passed two cups of green tea lattes to blend up.

 

“Aww,” Jongdae teases, bumping their hips together. “Is Baekhyunnie getting too old for the job?”

 

Baekhyun flicks his tea towel at him in response. “Menace.”

 

“You love me,” Jongdae, the asshole, has the nerve to sing-song. Baekhyun can’t even find it in himself to refute him, because he’s right.

 

He resigns himself, instead, to Jongdae’s cackling, and puts the lids on an iced americano and cortado, shaking his head fondly. He takes a look at the name scribbled on the plastic cups as he places them on the counter, calling out: “Iced americano and iced cortado for Kyungsoo!”

 

Baekhyun’s distracted, then, by Sehun shuffling by with his wallet and phone in hand, waving goodbye on his way to lunch. He waves back just in time to see a tall,  _ tall _ man in a leather jacket walk up to the counter.

 

“Enjoy your drin-” Baekhyun chirps, looking up to meet the man’s eyes.

 

They’re  _ glowing _ .

 

“ _ Fuck _ ,” The man breathes.

 

Jongdae appears, seemingly out of nowhere, and another shorter man appears at the tall man’s side the same way. “Soo,” Baekhyun hears him greet the shorter man, and  _ ah _ , his soulmate isn’t named Kyungsoo, then. “Help me get them to the back room.”

 

Speaking of his soulmate, the man’s eyes are wide, almost terrifyingly so. His limbal rings are so,  _ so  _ bright, fire red and burning. Baekhyun has no idea what colour his own are glowing now, and he’s not entirely sure he wants to know. 

 

He can barely peel his eyes away from his soulmate to see where he’s going. Jongdae steers him into the back room as Kyungsoo pushes his soulmate in after them.

 

“Baek,” Jongdae calls his pet name, softly, breaking him out of his reverie. Baekhyun looks at his best friend, seeing the concern etched across his features. “Are you okay? You- He- I mean.” It’s not often that Jongdae’s lost for words, and Baekhyun instinctively reaches out to grab his hand. “You’ll be okay?” Jongdae asks, in the end.

 

Baekhyun smiles, softly, but he knows Jongdae can see that it’s tinged with fear. “I’ll be fine, Dae,” He replies in kind. “Don’t worry about me.”

 

“Idiot,” Jongdae scolds quietly. “I’ll always worry.” He glances behind him, where Kyungsoo’s frowning while he speaks to Baekhyun’s soulmate. Sighing, he turns back to look at Baekhyun. “Just. Remember that he’s your soulmate, okay? You two were made for each other, so promise me you’ll give him a chance?”

 

Baekhyun nods mutely, and Jongdae knows that that’s the most he’ll get out of Baekhyun. Baekhyun leans forward to press his forehead against his best friend’s. “I’ll be  _ fine _ ,” He reiterates. “I won’t do anything rash, that I can promise you.”

 

“Okay,” Jongdae says, sounding more like he’s trying to convince himself than he is trying to convince Baekhyun. “I’ll take over in the front for as long as you need with him, so don’t worry about that.”

 

“Thank you,” Baekhyun breathes, leaning forward to nuzzle into Jongdae’s neck. “I’ll talk to him.”

 

“You’d better,” Jongdae threatens, even as he returns Baekhyun’s nuzzle, like a cat. They pull apart, and Baekhyun watches as Jongdae heads over to Kyungsoo and exchanges a short conversation with him. They leave, then, one after the other, and Baekhyun is left alone with his  _ soulmate _ . Their eyes have stopped glowing by now, and he misses the crimson shine of his soulmate’s limbal rings more than he ever would have expected.

 

He takes a deep breath, then turns to the tall man standing a little aways from him. “Hello!” He greets, as cheerily as he can muster. “I’m Byun Baekhyun!”

 

“I know,” The man replies, making Baekhyun blink. “It’s on your nametag.”

 

Baekhyun peers down at said nametag, then laughs. “Oh,” He says, intelligently. “Well, I- What’s yours? Name, I mean.”

 

“No, I thought you meant the name of my coffee shop,” His soulmate replies, looking amused. Baekhyun resists the urges to stick his tongue out and stomp his foot like a child. “I’m Park Chanyeol.”

 

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun tests the name out, likes the way the syllables roll effortlessly off of his tongue. He reaches out gingerly, unsure. “Do you mind if…?”

 

Chanyeol stares at him, silently, for the longest time, and Baekhyun swallows, hand falling back to his side. “Sorry. This must be weird for you, huh.”

 

“No, it’s okay,” Chanyeol says once he breaks out of his reverie, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I’m still trying to get used to, you know, my soulmate being…” He makes a vague gesture towards all of Baekhyun, and Baekhyun stiffens. He knows exactly what that means, has seen it countless times, back in high school.

 

“Disappointed, then?” Baekhyun barks harshly. He hadn’t been exactly leaping with joy that Chanyeol was his soulmate, but he hadn’t taken a look at him being male and immediately curled in on himself. Maybe it was being best friends with Jongdae and seeing how happy he was with Junmyeon that made Baekhyun so open to the idea of his soulmate being a guy.

 

Chanyeol frowns, evidently upset. “What, can you blame me? All my life I’ve been with girls, okay? Just because looking and touching you makes my eyes glow due to some, I don’t know, weird genetic mutation that we have, doesn’t mean I’m gay.”

 

Something in Baekhyun, a small part of him that had still believed in the idea of soulmates being made for each other, shatters. He hadn’t expected Chanyeol to jump in joy, of course, but perhaps something more accepting had been what he was looking for. To see Chanyeol talk about Baekhyun like he was contagious was both depressing and insulting, to say the least.

 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Baekhyun waves his hand dismissively. “If you were so against having a guy as your soulmate, why did you even let Kyungsoo bring you in here?”

 

“You’re being unreasonable,” Chanyeol states, brow furrowing even further. “I never said I wasn’t open to trying anything, or that I didn’t want you because I’m not gay, just that I was  _ expecting _ my soulmate to be female. You can’t really expect me to accept this immediately when all my life I’ve only looked at girls.”

 

The thing is, Baekhyun  _ knows _ that Chanyeol’s right. He knows he’s being unreasonable, that Chanyeol hadn’t immediately recoiled once he realized that Baekhyun was his soulmate. Baekhyun himself had even said it: Chanyeol had let Kyungsoo bring him in here to get to know Baekhyun. If the man had been against it, he would probably have run out the door the moment the realization hit him, and Baekhyun would have been none the wiser as to who he was.

 

Baekhyun closes his eyes, inhaling deeply. His mind is unhelpful, flashing image of image of his parents fighting, screaming at each other as he hides in his brother’s room, Baekbeom’s arms around him, both of them shaking with tears. Maybe that was what he and Chanyeol would end up like, he thinks, bound together by some unearthly link but never able to stay with each other.

 

“Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t want a soulmate.” Chanyeol’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts. Baekhyun’s eyes fly open, half from shock and half from fear that Chanyeol’s  _ right _ , that Baekhyun’s just projecting. “I’m  _ trying _ , at least, Byun Baekhyun. You’re unwilling to even give me that chance.”

 

“I-” Baekhyun starts to retort, defiant, but finds he can’t. Because he knows. He knows Chanyeol’s right, because at the very core, Baekhyun is hiding himself from the world, caging himself in the center of a fortress, walls as high as he can possibly build them.

 

Chanyeol scoffs when Baekhyun doesn’t say anything in defense. “Some soulmate,” He mutters under his breath, pushing past Baekhyun to get to the door. Baekhyun sees the fleeting shine of his eyes when the back of Chanyeol’s hand brushes against his on accident, before Chanyeol takes it with him, pushing the door open and leaving.

 

Baekhyun stands, rooted in his spot for a grand total of 2 seconds, then his knees give way and he crumples to the ground, heaving sobs into the palms of his hands.

 

Sehun finds him like that, ten minutes later, having returned from his break. His panic is evident on his face, and Baekhyun can’t blame him. Baekhyun hardly goes anywhere without a gigantic plastered grin; it makes sense that Sehun had never seen him in such a state before. His employee dumps his stuff on the table before bolting out the door, and Jongdae materializes by his side just seconds later.

 

“Oh, Baekhyun,” Jongdae sighs, picking him up and guiding him towards the couch. His best friend grabs a spare box of tissues, ripping it open and using one to wipe Baekhyun’s tears away. “What happened?”

 

Baekhyun hiccups, shaking his head. Jongdae understands,  _ he always does _ , Baekhyun thinks gratefully, and says nothing, merely tugging Baekhyun closer. Jongdae’s hand is moving in a comforting motion up and down his back, and Baekhyun indulges in the feeling.

 

There are times Baekhyun wishes, selfishly, that Jongdae was his soulmate. It would have been so much easier, he thinks. They’d met, back in kindergarten, before Baekhyun’s parents’ marriage had folded in on itself and collapsed. He’d be happy with Jongdae, Baekhyun thinks, and it’d be so  _ easy _ , because he can be himself around Jongdae, and he knows the reverse is true for his best friend.

 

But it’s selfish, Baekhyun knows, oh so  _ selfish _ . Baekhyun’s seen, countless times, the disgustingly dopey look that Jongdae gets when his gaze lands on Junmyeon’s form. He can remember how Jongdae had reacted when he first locked eyes with Junmyeon, when his best friend’s eyes had turned an electrifying yellow, clashing with the calm blue of Junmyeon’s. He knows how stupidly in love they are, has borne witness to it more often than he would truly like to. And deep down, in some dark, ugly part of him, Baekhyun knows that if he asked Jongdae to choose, Jongdae would take his hand, would follow him to the ends of the earth because that’s just the kind of person Jongdae is, and he can’t, can’t,  _ can’t _ take that away from Jongdae, can’t be that selfish when Jongdae has shown him nothing but kindness.

 

It tears at Baekhyun; he doesn’t know if he wants Jongdae or Chanyeol or what Jongdae has with Junmyeon, and maybe he could have what Jongdae has with Junmyeon  _ with _ Chanyeol, and he’s fucking  _ terrified _ .

 

“I saw Chanyeol as he was leaving,” Jongdae speaks after some time. “He didn’t look very happy. Kyungsoo had to go running after him, and Kyungsoo  _ never _ runs after anyone.”

 

“I fucked up,” Baekhyun says, simply. Jongdae gathers him tighter into his arms, sighing. It isn’t a disappointed sound, for which Baekhyun is grateful. “I was scared, something he said made the walls come back up, and I chased him away.”

 

Baekhyun doesn’t have to say anything else. Jongdae, after all, had been with him for most of his life, and knew exactly what Baekhyun had went through. “Not even a chance?” Jongdae asks, sounding sad. 

 

Baekhyun shakes his head.

* * *

  
  


Baekhyun knows that he shouldn’t be glad that Jongdae hasn’t asked Junmyeon to come over since  _ that incident _ , but he’s inexplicably grateful for it. His best friend has spent every possible waking moment with him, and Baekhyun lets himself drift off, head tucked under Jongdae’s chin, every night.

 

Work is the same; Jongdae pops in even when it’s not his shift, presumably to make sure Baekhyun is okay. He finds himself being treated like a child, almost, Sehun skirting around him and Minseok absolutely babying him - “I’m still your employer, hyung, thank you very much!” “You’re welcome, Baekhyunnie.” - but he finds he doesn’t mind too much. It manages takes his mind off the disaster of a soulmate meeting, if nothing else.

 

Baekhyun finds he has to face his nightmares when Kyungsoo walks into the coffee shop with an aura of death surrounding him.

 

Okay, so maybe Baekhyun was exaggerating, but Kyungsoo looks like he’s about 0.12 seconds away from sticking a knife into his throat, and Baekhyun  _ likes _ his throat, thank you very much.

 

“One iced cortado, please,” Kyungsoo orders, voice soft. “And a slice of cheesecake.” Baekhyun instantly forgets why he had been afraid of Kyungsoo in the first place, punching the order into the cash register. Kyungsoo taps his phone over the card reader with practiced ease, and Baekhyun hands him his receipt with a happy grin.

 

“Are you busy?” Kyungsoo asks, not moving over to the other end of the counter where he would collect his drink. “I’d like to speak with you.”

 

Minseok raises an eyebrow when Baekhyun stiffens up and looks like he would rather jump off a cliff than speak to Kyungsoo. “I’ll take over,” He offers, and Baekhyun shoots him an offended look at how Minseok is just throwing him to the sharks. “Go ahead.”

 

“ _ I’m docking your pay _ ,” Baekhyun hisses under his breath, but Minseok just rolls his eyes with the knowledge that Baekhyun would never do something like that despite threatening to at least once a week. Minseok dismisses Baekhyun with a wave of his hand just as Sehun slides Kyungsoo’s cortado across the counter where the slice of cake already sits, and Baekhyun wants to  _ die _ .

 

Kyungsoo walks over to an empty table in the corner, and Baekhyun follows, a reluctant puppet on strings. He looks at Baekhyun with large,  _ large _ eyes. Baekhyun wonders if he should have penned out his will the way Baekbeom had always told him to do. He can hear his brother’s voice in his head:  _ Better to be prepared, Baekhyun!  _

 

Baekhyun takes a seat in front of Kyungsoo, far too awkwardly for one of the owners of the cafe in front of a customer. Kyungsoo seems content  sipping his cortado and spooning small bites of cake into his mouth, letting him squirm for a good 2 minutes or so - looking way too adorable for someone who was making Baekhyun as uncomfortable as he currently is - before he sets his drink down with a soft sigh.

 

“Chanyeol’s been a wreck,” Kyungsoo deadpans. Baekhyun flinches involuntarily at the information, unsure why it makes him feel like the world just came crashing down onto him. “As much as I hate to say it, looking at him makes me sad. What did you do to him?”

 

Baekhyun doesn’t have an answer for that, not really. How was he even supposed to begin with what he did to Chanyeol, after all? Other than projecting all the issues that he had with soulmates onto the poor guy, who didn’t deserve any of it?

 

“I- Made a mistake,” Baekhyun admits, because that’s the best - if pathetic - thing he can think of. “I’m not. Very good with this, you know, soulmates thing.”

 

Kyungsoo gives him a very long, very silent look, before sighing. “It’s not my place to tell you why,” He starts, hesitantly. “But Chanyeol wasn’t too keen on the idea, either. Or so he  _ said _ , but he was ecstatic the day he met you. He could barely contain himself, honestly, and I’ve never seen that side of him.”

 

“He didn’t look it…” Baekhyun replies, trailing off because he really doesn’t know what to say in response to that. It was true, however. Chanyeol hadn’t looked like he was anything but nervous, and perhaps, a little hopeful.

 

“Chanyeol tends to wear his heart on his sleeve, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo says, raising a pointed eyebrow at Baekhyun’s name tag when he jumps in surprise. “It’s not difficult to tell what he’s thinking most of the time, unless he’s really trying to hide it. I assume that was what happened in your case. Like I said, he has his own reasons to be apprehensive about the concept of soulmates.”

 

“It’s been hard for us - his friends - to see him the way he’s been since his meeting with you,” Kyungsoo elaborates. He’s half done with his cortado by now, stirring it absentmindedly to mix the water from the melted ice into the coffee. “I’d actually come here to give you an earful, but you seem just as upset about this entire thing as he is, maybe even more.” Kyungsoo sends him an inquisitive look.

 

“I’m- I’m unsure,” Baekhyun stammers out. “I can’t promise anything, but I do want to fix my mistake.” 

 

“You’re willing to try with Chanyeol, then?” Kyungsoo asks over his drink. Baekhyun feels almost transparent under his gaze with how piercing it is. He’s shaking under the pressure, but he thinks about the look on Junmyeon’s face every time he looks at Jongdae, imagines it on Chanyeol’s, on  _ his own _ , looking at Chanyeol.

 

“If he’ll have me,” Baekhyun replies, determined. “If we both have- issues, as you say, and he’s willing.” Admittedly, it won’t be the easiest thing, Baekhyun knows, but he would be lying if he didn’t want to have a semblance of a chance at the happiness his friends have.

 

Kyungsoo just  _ looks _ at him again, in that silent, piercing way of his. “I’ll try to convince him, then,” He sighs, standing up. “He’s quite stubborn. Just like you, I’ve heard.” There’s a slight uplifting of the corner of his lips.

 

“You’ve… Heard?” Baekhyun asks, confused, following Kyungsoo as he walks towards the counter to, presumably, return his plate. Baekhyun, as co-owner, should probably have offered to do that, but Kyungsoo is already well on his way, and Baekhyun can do nothing but stumble after him. “Ah, was it Jongdae? He knew who you were, the other day.”

 

Kyungsoo smiles, a pretty heart blossoming across his lips. “I’m friends with Jongdae, yes,” He says. Sehun appears, then, like clockwork, reaching out for the plate. Their hands brush, momentarily, and Baekhyun is shocked into silence by the bright fuchsia that sparks in Kyungsoo’s eyes, clashing with Sehun’s chartreuse.

 

It’s a good thing Baekhyun  _ wasn’t _ the one holding the plate, because he’d definitely have dropped it from the way his jaw fell open.

 

“But that’s not where I heard it from,” Kyungsoo finishes, looking far too amused and far too pleased with himself. Sehun takes the plate back with a quick wave, and the shine is gone as quickly as it had appeared. “I’ll get Chanyeol to come back here once he’s willing to reason to reason, so don’t worry too much.”

 

Baekhyun’s jaw only closes once Kyungsoo’s left, courtesy of Sehun reaching over the counter to lift it with two fingers under Baekhyun’s chin.

* * *

  
  


Baekhyun spends two weeks moping about the coffee shop, no Chanyeol in sight. He wonders if Kyungsoo had gone back on his promise, or if Baekhyun had just screwed up so badly that Chanyeol no longer wanted to have anything to do with him. He supposes it would be fair; Baekhyun had been a huge dick to him.

 

He’s in the middle of his self-wallowing, drawing sad faces on the foam of his latte, when Sehun elbows him in the side so hard his hand jerks, effectively ruining the cup. “You little-” He starts, then stops abruptly.

 

In front of Sehun stands Chanyeol, hair a little longer than when they had first met, fringe almost reaching his eyes. He looks worn out, if Baekhyun’s being honest, and the dark circles under his eyes tell him that Chanyeol, like Baekhyun himself, hasn’t been sleeping well.

 

“Can we talk?” Chanyeol asks, voice hoarse.

 

Baekhyun, too shocked, doesn’t reply, and Chanyeol starts to wilt. Beside him, Sehun rolls his eyes and puts down the cups he had been wiping dry. He takes Baekhyun by the shoulders and steers him out from the counter and into a chair in a corner of the coffeeshop, sitting him down. Chanyeol follows behind them, looking for all in the world like a lost puppy, taking the seat opposite Baekhyun’s when Sehun sends him a pointed look.

 

“Talk,” Sehun orders, looking stern. Not for the first time, Baekhyun wonders when the lanky first year university student had grown up. “You’ve been moping about for  _ weeks _ , Baekhyun, and Kyungsoo hyung told me that  _ you’ve _ ,” And here, Sehun turns to glare at Chanyeol. “Been doing the same. It’s driving me insane, so just talk it out like adults.”

 

Sehun leaves them both at the table with dropped jaws and wide eyes. Baekhyun manages to compose himself first, tilting his head a little when Chanyeol seems to not have recovered yet. He reaches out, on instinct, to close Chanyeol’s mouth for him, and earns himself a wince.

 

Baekhyun retracts his hand so quickly he almost hurts himself, pretending not to have seen the fire burning in Chanyeol’s eyes when they had made contact. Despite knowing that Sehun was right, and that they should talk about it - whatever  _ it _ was, at this point - Baekhyun honestly has no clue where to start.

 

Jongdae chooses to walk into the coffee shop at this point, and Baekhyun wonders, not for the first time, if his best friend can bail him out of this situation. He can see him looking curiously at the counter before scanning the room. 

 

It’s obvious when Jongdae spots them, because he flashes Chanyeol a bright smile and a wave, before giving Baekhyun a raised eyebrow and a pointed look. Baekhyun sinks lower into his seat, sulking.  _ He’s _ Jongdae’s best friend, not Chanyeol.

 

He knows Jongdae has a point, though, loath as he is to admit it. So he sits up with a heavy sigh and looks over at Chanyeol. “Chanyeol, right?” He starts, then cringes at how awkward he sounds. He  _ knows _ that that’s Chanyeol’s name, after all. He steels himself, swallows his pride, then says, “I’m really sorry about how we started things off. I don’t know how much Kyungsoo told you, but if you’re willing to give us a chance, I’d like to start again.”

 

Chanyeol stares at him mutely for a couple of moments, before he sighs, too. “You weren’t too keen on soulmates the last time we met,” Chanyeol says. Baekhyun holds back to urge to say it was also the first time they’d met, figuring that it probably wasn’t a good time. “What makes you want to try?”

 

“I-” Baekhyun falters. He doesn’t know how to word it, so he settles on the easiest way possible: bluntly, and truthfully. “Jongdae.”

 

Chanyeol raises his eyebrows, gaze flicking over to look at Baekhyun’s best friend, who’s manning the counter with a grin on his face. “Jongdae made you want to try having a relationship with your soulmate?”

 

It sounds like an absolutely horrible reason to say, in hindsight, and Baekhyun realises he’s thinking out loud when Chanyeol chuckles, eyes crinkling as he laughs. It’s deep, just like his voice, and sends a pleasant shiver through Baekhyun. 

 

“It is,” Chanyeol agrees. “Care to elaborate?”

 

Baekhyun links his fingers together, looking down at his clasped hands. “Jongdae’s… One of the people who was lucky enough to find his soulmate when he was in university. They’re  _ stupidly _ in love,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “It’s disgusting.”

 

Chanyeol says nothing, but the silence is enough of a prompt to continue that Baekhyun heeds it and does so.

 

“I thought about them, I guess,” Baekhyun shrugs. “I thought about how they looked at each other - and they like to make out on the couch in our shared apartment, so you can imagine how often I’m subjected to  _ that _ \- and how- how maybe, it could be how I looked at you.”

 

“I was scared,” Baekhyun admits, taking his bottom in between his teeth in worry. “I still am. I’m terrified, even. But if there’s even a chance that we could, maybe, have what Jongdae has with his soulmate, then I want to try. If- If you, do, too.”

 

Chanyeol doesn’t say anything for a while, then puts his elbows on the table, chin perched on closed fists. “I actually didn’t think it’d be a good idea to come back here,” He says, and Baekhyun can’t help but flinch. Chanyeol looks at him, then continues with a small but bright smile, “But Kyungsoo was the one who convinced me to do so. He said that you were sorry, and that you wanted to try. And I thought, if you had managed to convince  _ Kyungsoo _ , of all people, of your sincerity, then maybe there was something special about you.”

 

Baekhyun laughs, then, breathlessly, at the sight. Chanyeol’s smile is  _ delightful _ , and Baekhyun can’t help but wonder what he would look like beaming, smile reaching his twinkling eyes. He wipes his palms on his jeans subtly under the table, then sticks one out across it, determined to have a do-over. “Hi,” He greets, a bolt of bravery surging up his chest. “I’m Byun Baekhyun, your soulmate. It’s very nice to meet you.”

 

Chanyeol laughs, too, but it’s nothing like Baekhyun’s own. Chanyeol’s is basically a guffaw, and his expression is amused. He humours Baekhyun, however, and it’s more than Baekhyun could have hoped to deserved. Chanyeol’s hand - large, so much larger than Baekhyun’s own - covers Baekhyun’s in the handshake that Baekhyun had initiated. “Hello, Byun Baekhyun. Name’s Park Chanyeol; likewise.”

 

Baekhyun tries not to stare at the way Chanyeol’s eyes light up, blazing with red. He, of course, fails miserably. All he can do is look at Chanyeol’s eyes, mesmerised by the pigmentation and how  _ vibrant _ it is. 

 

“Your eyes,” Chanyeol murmurs, looking stunned. Baekhyun wants to tell him that  _ he _ should be the one saying that in that tone of voice, but he finds he can’t say anything when he opens his mouth. His throat is clogged up, something sour rising, and he wills it down. “They’re beautiful.”

 

“I-” Baekhyun manages to force out. “ _ Yours _ are- They’re red, I don’t know if you know, and they’re  _ blindingly _ so.”

 

Chanyeol sends him an amused little quirk of his lips. “Do you know what colour  _ your _ eyes are?” He asks, that same expression still on his face.

 

Baekhyun shakes his head. Jongdae hadn’t told him, neither had he bothered to ask. It had been a painful memory - a reminder of how he had screwed up - and Baekhyun hadn’t wanted to deal with the consequences, then. 

 

“They’re white,” Chanyeol answers. Baekhyun’s face falls, thinks of Chanyeol’s fire red, Jongdae’s lightning yellow, Junmyeon’s water blue. Even Kyungsoo, Sehun, that bright fuschia, the chartreuse, they were all such beautiful,  _ vibrant _ colours, full of life and love.

 

Baekhyun’s limbal rings were  _ white _ . It was disappointing, to hear. He’d wanted something on par with Chanyeol’s own, something to make him worthy of standing next to Chanyeol, something worthy of his  _ soulmate _ .

 

“What’s wrong?” Chanyeol asks, brow furrowed in concern. His free hand reaches up, hesitantly, to touch Baekhyun’s face, thumb caressing his cheek.

 

Baekhyun shakes his head. “I wanted- Something colourful, something more- Next to you-” He shakes his head again, unsure of what he’s trying to convey. Chanyeol seems to understand, if the way his expression softens is any indication.

 

“You haven’t seen yourself,” Chanyeol says. The hand that’s in Baekhyun’s shifts, from a handshake to Chanyeol taking his hand. “I don’t know why you think you need to have a coloured limbal ring, because you don’t. It’s beautiful,” Chanyeol breathes, looking starstruck. “You’re beautiful, Baekhyun.”

 

Baekhyun sucks in a shocked breath, and even Chanyeol himself looks surprised, like he hadn’t expected himself to be so straightforward. He ducks his head, laughing. “Thank you,” He says, grateful. “I don’t deserve how nice you’re being to me, really.”

 

“Not at all,” Chanyeol says easily. “We’ve both decided to go ahead with, uh. Dating?”

 

_ Dating. _

 

The word sounds almost unfamiliar to Baekhyun, who’s never even been on a date. Something must have shown in his expression, because Chanyeol sends him a forlorn look that just about breaks his heart. “Do you not want to date me?”

 

“No!” Baekhyun shouts, startling the customers around him. He looks at Chanyeol, who’s crestfallen. “No, I meant yes! I-” He flusters, unsure of what to do with himself. “I do want to date you.”

 

“Oh,” Chanyeol replies, eloquent. “I just- I’m sorry, when you said no, I thought the worst.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun laughs, humourlessly. “I’ve given you a terrible first impression, haven’t I?” He looks down at his fingernails, wondering how he was going to fix this. Chanyeol didn’t trust him at all, and Baekhyun didn’t blame him in the slightest.

 

Chanyeol looks at him for just a moment, then smiles, too kind, too gentle. “No, not really,” He teases, eyes bright. “But it’s okay. If things all go as planned, we’ll have the rest of our lives to make up for lost time.”

 

Baekhyun’s head jerks up at that, startled, so fast that he almost gets whiplash.  _ The rest of their lives _ , he thinks, and it makes something warm, squirmy, but not unpleasant, bloom in his stomach. The thought of spending the rest of his life with Chanyeol, to have Chanyeol look at him like he was doing now, was an incredibly tempting one.

 

He nods, returning Chanyeol’s smile with one of his own, and the grin Chanyeol’s smile widens into is nothing short of absolutely breathtaking.

* * *

  
  


Baekhyun realises, after a week of texting Chanyeol, that his soulmate is not only extremely good looking, but has an excellent sense of humour as well. He finds himself smiling at his phone more often than not, thumbs quickly typing out a response whenever he receives a message.

 

“You look like an idiot,” Jongdae comments one day, with the air of someone talking about how nice the weather was. “Who’ve you been texting?”

 

And Baekhyun, who’s never been able to hide anything from Jongdae whether he likes it or not, turns his phone to show Jongdae his screen.

 

“Chanyeol?” Jongdae gasps, eyes widening. “Did you two fix things?”

 

Baekhyun nods, feeling oddly shy. Jongdae makes a strange garbled noise in the back of his throat and throws himself at Baekhyun. “Baekhyun!” Jongdae yells, mock crying. “My baby’s growing up! Are you two dating!”

 

Baekhyun can practically hear the exclamation points in Jongdae’s speech, and he snorts at his best friend’s excitement. “Yes,” He deadpans. “We are.”

 

“Wait,” Jongdae jolts up. “For real?”

 

“Yes,” Baekhyun answers. “We’re, uh. Going on our first date in about an hour.”

 

Jongdae sucks in a sharp breath, and Baekhyun grimaces, bracing himself. He knows - has been friends with Jongdae long enough - what it means when Jongdae does that, and he’s Not Looking Forward To It. Jongdae yells, and Baekhyun flinches, despite having expected it.

 

“And you didn’t tell me?” Jongdae screeches, hopping up and down on their couch. “Me! Your  _ best friend _ , Baekhyun.”

 

Baekhyun shrugs. “I didn’t think it was that important.”

 

Jongdae goes oddly quiet at that, and Baekhyun turns to look at him, puzzled. Jongdae’s looking down at his fingers, and Baekhyun realises, belatedly, that he’s hurt his best friend. 

 

“Jongdae,” Baekhyun starts.

 

“No, no,” Jongdae shakes his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think, Baekhyun. This is all so new for you, especially after what happened in the past. You’re probably terrified, and I keep  _ pressuring  _ you-”

 

“ _ Jongdae _ ,” Baekhyun says, frowning, and Jongdae finally raises his head to look at him. “You haven’t been pressuring me, silly.” He takes Jongdae’s hands in his own and smiles at him. “I know you’re just worried for me. Excited, even,” He chuckles. “I just, I guess I just needed some time on my own first, before telling you.”

 

Jongdae takes some time to digest this information, before Baekhyun is sent his signature smile, the corners of his lips curving up prettily. Baekhyun beams back at him, and pretty soon Jongdae is nudging and squirming his way under Baekhyun’s arm, delighted both for and at him. “I hope you have a wonderful date with Chanyeol,” Jongdae tells him, eyes wide and earnest. 

 

Baekhyun smiles down at him. “I do, too,” He replies, perfectly honest in the way he hasn’t been about relationships since his parents fell apart. “So you have to help me pick out my outfit for tonight, right?”

 

Jongdae jolts up so fast he almost knocks his chin against Baekhyun’s, and wouldn’t that have been a wonderful first impression, if he had turned up for his first date with Chanyeol bloodied, nose broken. “Really?” Jongdae asks, as if he can’t believe what Baekhyun’s asking of him.

 

Baekhyun laughs, nuzzling into Jongdae’s neck happily. “Who else, if not my best friend?” 

 

There’s a moment’s pause before Jongdae’s leaping up giddily, tugging him up to his feet. “Come on!” Jongdae pretty much yells. “We need to make sure you look  _ perfect _ , so you can wow the socks off of him.”

 

Baekhyun raises an eyebrow at ‘wow the socks off of him’, but otherwise says nothing. It wouldn’t do to pop Jongdae’s metaphorical balloon, not when he’s this excited for a date - that’s  _ Baekhyun’s _ , no less, not even his own. Baekhyun surmises it’s because of the rarity of the event, plus, Jongdae goes on dates with Junmyeon once every weekend, like the _ disgustingly _ domestic couple that they are.

 

Jongdae’s idea of making Baekhyun looks perfect, apparently, is shoving him into the bathroom and making him take the longest shower Baekhyun’s ever had. He comes out, fingers and toes so pruney he might as well have aged 40 years. 

 

“Do your makeup,” Jongdae sits him down on  _ his _ bed - in  _ his _ room, Baekhyun might add - and orders. He’s rifling through Baekhyun’s closet, tossing things out and behind him. Baekhyun’s always thought that was something people only did in movies, but Jongdae seems intent on proving him wrong.

 

It takes 10 minutes for Jongdae to settle on an outfit he deems appropriate, shoving a pair of black jeans and a dark blue button-up at him. Jongdae looks at his face, makes a  _ tsk _ sound and starts rummaging through his drawers, grabbing his eyeliner pencil.

 

“Jongdae, it’s just a date, it’s not like we’re going clubbing,” Baekhyun says, looking at his best friend apprehensively. 

 

Jongdae sends him a withering look that immediately shuts him up. He knows when Jongdae means business, and he likes his eyeball  _ without _ an eyeliner pencil stabbed into it, thank you very much. 

 

He lets Jongdae do his thing, content to sit on his bed and feel Jongdae’s gentle hand on his face, drawing and smudging the kohl on his eyeline.

 

“There he is,” Jongdae coos once he - or at least, Baekhyun supposes - is done. “There’s my lovely Baekhyunnie.”

 

“What,” Baekhyun snorts, mock-offended. “You mean I’m not lovely without eyeliner?”

 

Jongdae rolls his eyes, but leans down to nuzzle his cheek gently anyways, because in the end he’s still just a nerd who loves him, he knows. Baekhyun nuzzles back affectionately, careful not to smear his makeup for fear of incurring Jongdae’s wrath.

 

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? Hell hath no fury like Jongdae upset, more like.

 

“Baekhyun,” Jongdae says, suddenly serious. “No matter what happens tonight, promise me you’ll do what  _ you _ want for yourself. Your parents’ relationship isn’t yours, isn’t an indicative of every soulmate relationship.”

 

Baekhyun nods, has heard this speech more times than he can count. He takes Jongdae’s hand and squeezes lightly. “I want this to work,” He admits. He’s terrified, and he’s pretty sure Jongdae can feel it with how he’s trembling. “I like Chanyeol, and I’d like if. If I had with him what you have with Junmyeon.”

 

“Silly Baekhyun,” Jongdae laughs, but there’s a soft pink flush on his cheeks. “Junmyeon and I are hardly the poster children for soulmates.”

 

“You’re both so  _ happy _ with each other,” Baekhyun replies, confused. Ever since Jongdae had met his soulmate, Baekhyun’s always thought of the two of them as  _ the _ soulmates, the ones you only heard about in fairytales. “How  _ aren’t _ you the poster children for soulmates?”

 

Jongdae takes some time to just look at Baekhyun, then, like he’s just realised something. “We fight, too, Baekhyunnie,” He says, gently. “We argue, too. Junmyeon hyung hates the way I disturb him when I’m bored and he’s busy, and I abhor the way he leaves all his stuff lying around all the time, but we always make up.” Jongdae cups Baekhyun’s cheek gently, whose eyes are wide and surprised. “It’s not that we don’t fight at all, we just come back to each other, in the end.”

 

“So you shouldn’t be afraid, Baekhyun,” Jongdae says, smiling softly. “Don’t be scared you’ll do something wrong, because Chanyeol will always forgive you, in the end.”

 

Baekhyun doesn’t -  _ can’t _ \- say anything, can only throw himself at Jongdae and hide his face in the juncture between his shoulder and neck, desperately needing affection. Jongdae gives it freely, as he always does, and Baekhyun lets himself be comforted by that.

 

“And if he doesn’t,” Baekhyun hears Jongdae continue cheerily. “I’ll rip his balls off and feed them to Mongryong.”

 

“Please don’t feed Mongryong Chanyeol’s balls,” Baekhyun says, words muffled from where he is. Jongdae just laughs, again, one hand coming up to ruffle Baekhyun’s hair. 

 

They stay like that for the rest of the time, cuddled together. Baekhyun takes care not to rub his makeup off onto Jongdae’s shirt, and they just talk, in a way that they hadn’t for some time, with how busy they’ve been with the cafe. 

 

Baekhyun tells Jongdae about how Chanyeol had come over to the coffeeshop, how they’d been texting, then silly things like how Mongryong might have a crush on their neighbour’s Shiba, a new recipe for pasta he had tried out the other night. In return, Jongdae tells him about the new restaurant he had stumbled upon with Junmyeon the other night, a tip for making sure his pasta is al dente, a new recipe for coffee he’d like to try, how he thinks Sehun’s trying to save up enough money to get Kyungsoo a promise ring.

 

They’re so lost in their own world that when Baekhyun’s alarm rings to remind him that he has to go to make it in time for the date, they’re both startled out of their conversation by it.

 

Jongdae glares at Baekhyun’s phone like it’s personally offended him, then sighs and gives Baekhyun one last squeeze. “I swear, I feel like a father sending my son off to college for the first time.”

 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes are Jongdae. For as much as he loved his best friend, Jongdae was prone to being overly dramatic at times. Still, he knew that this time, at least, it was out of concern for Baekhyun, so he let it slide. “I’ll be  _ fine _ , Jongdae,” He reassures him.

 

“Promise me you’ll call if you need anything,” Jongdae says, expression serious. “If he does  _ anything _ that you don’t like, anything at all, give me a call and I’ll come running, okay?”

 

“Promise,” Baekhyun replies, even as he’s shaking his head in amusement. Jongdae worried too much about him, really. “I don’t think he’ll do anything, really,” He raises his palm when Jongdae frowns and opens his mouth. “But if he  _ does _ , I’ll make sure you’re the first one I call, okay?”

 

Jongdae seems appeased by that, if nothing else, and nods. Baekhyun beams, leans forward and presses a kiss to Jongdae’s cheek. “I’ll get going first, okay? Don’t stay up waiting for the details,” Baekhyun teases, wiggling his fingers at Jongdae.

 

“Have fun,” Jongdae waves, laughing when Baekhyun trips over his own two feet, earning a sad pout.

 

Baekhyun sure hopes he does.

* * *

  
  


Hongdae main street is as crowded as it always is, with teenagers milling about aimlessly, a few spare moments university students looking for a place to bury their heads in their textbooks, couples with their hands in each other’s.

 

Baekhyun glances at his phone again, making sure he’s at the right spot. He’s unfamiliar with the place Chanyeol had asked to meet him at, preferring, usually, to stick to the quieter parts of Hongdae. 

 

“Baekhyun!”

 

He turns at the call of his name, watches as a breathless Chanyeol jogs towards him. He can’t help but smile at the sight of windswept hair and bright eyes. 

 

“You came,” Chanyeol says, almost as though in disbelief.

 

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” Baekhyun teases, expression faltering when Chanyeol doesn’t say anything. 

 

He reaches out, slowly, hesitantly. Chanyeol takes a deep breath, then takes his hand. Baekhyun beams, watches Chanyeol’s eyes light up, and squeezes the hand in his own. “I didn’t make the best first impression,” Baekhyun admits, sheepishly. “But I’m here now. I’m willing to try, and I won’t go back on that promise.”

 

Chanyeol looks at him, then smiles back, and Baekhyun’s heart is so full it’s almost bursting. “Okay,” He says, starting to walk. Baekhyun follows, unsure of what Chanyeol has planned, but trusts him enough to trail alongside him unconditionally. He wonders if it’s because it’s the soulmate bond that leads him to it, or if it’s because it’s  _ Chanyeol _ .

 

Chanyeol’s plan for a first date, it turns out, is to watch a movie that had come highly recommended by a friend of his. Baekhyun isn’t sure what type of movies Jongin is into, but he’s willing to trust Chanyeol, and that trust comes with, apparently, by proxy, trust in Jongin. 

 

Regardless, Baekhyun goes with it. He doesn’t have a better idea, and he was just glad that Chanyeol was willing to spend any time at all with him. 

 

“Let’s get popcorn,” Chanyeol suggests. “Sweet or salty, in one, two, three-”

 

“Sweet.”

 

“Salty.”

Baekhyun stares at Chanyeol in shock, then the both of them burst into laughter. “I can’t believe we’re already having our first argument,” Baekhyun jokes. 

 

“I know,” Chanyeol grins back, even as he orders a bucket of popcorn - sweet and salty mixed, and Baekhyun melts, just a little - and two large drinks of them. They have another small disagreement about who’s going to pay, before Baekhyun darts forward and quickly taps his credit card against the scanner, effectively winning, but they’re both grinning widely, breathless with it.

 

It’s easy, being with Chanyeol, almost terrifyingly so. Baekhyun hasn’t ever felt this way about someone,  _ around _ someone, and it’s crazy to think that this is what he’s been depriving himself of. He’s comfortable around Chanyeol, and he can’t help but want this for the rest of his life, if Chanyeol would have him.

 

The realisation makes Baekhyun pause, halfway through the movie. He turns to the side, sees Chanyeol’s face partially lit up by the screen, and something squeezes at his chest, hopelessly fond.

 

He can’t concentrate on the movie after that, not when all he can think about is Chanyeol and their possible future. It almost seems like Chanyeol realises it, with how he fidgets.

 

“I’m sorry,” Chanyeol apologises after the movie, and Baekhyun’s heart seizes. “This is a really boring date, isn’t it? You didn’t like the movie, either, and-”

 

“No!” Baekhyun interrupts, panicking. “It wasn’t- I just-”

 

Chanyeol looks down at his feet, then, and Baekhyun is desperate to make him understand. It wasn’t Chanyeol, no, it was just that Baekhyun had too much on his mind and not enough time to process it. 

 

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says, reaching forward to take his hand. He tugs them into a corner so they can properly talk it out. “I’m sorry it felt like I wasn’t all here today. It’s just that. I’m really scared and I keep having  _ thoughts _ of, spending the rest of my life with you, and. It scares me, how much I want it, when I’ve  _ never _ had thoughts like these before, so I was. In my head a lot, and I’m  _ sorry _ I made you feel upset-”

 

He’s cut short when he feels Chanyeol’s hand on his cheek, tilting his face up gently. Baekhyun sees Chanyeol’s smile, small but pleased, and he flushes, losing himself in the red of Chanyeol’s limbal rings. “Breathe, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol teases, and Baekhyun does as told, inhaling deeply. “I was worried, you know, about you deciding you don’t want this, but if you’re thinking about spending the rest of your life with me, I guess I don’t have to worry.”

 

Baekhyun smacks Chanyeol’s chest, but he’s smiling, because Chanyeol just basically said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Baekhyun, too, and it makes him happier than he ever thought it would. 

 

“I  _ am _ sorry about today, though,” Baekhyun says, morose. “Our first date’s supposed to be special, and I ruined it with all of my brooding.”

 

“Who says it’s not special to me?” Chanyeol questions, one eyebrow raised. “I got to spend time with my soulmate, hold his hand, have him tell me he wants to spend the rest of his life with me.” Baekhyun hits him again, but Chanyeol just laughs, and the sound shouldn’t endear Chanyeol  _ this much _ to Baekhyun, but it  _ does _ , and Baekhyun is helpless against it.

 

Chanyeol drops his hand from Baekhyun’s cheek, Baekhyun feeling the lost of contact the moment he does. “Well, we still have time,” Baekhyun says, eyes twinkling. “Who says we have to end the date now?”

 

Chanyeol sends him a look, and Baekhyun beams at him, all innocently, before he speeds off with a: “Last one to the nearest  _ pojangmacha _ has to pay for the meal!”

 

He looks back, laughing, just in time to see Chanyeol’s wide eyes narrow, and his soulmate begin to speed after him.

* * *

  
  


Baekhyun finds that dating Chanyeol isn’t that much different from being single, other than the fact that he finds himself much happier, has someone to complain to when Jongdae is out with Junmyeon, and there’s a partner to cuddle whenever he wants affection, and okay, so maybe dating Chanyeol came with a  _ lot _ of benefits compared to when he was ‘single and miserable’, as so expertly coined by Jongdae.

 

He knows his best friend is just happy for him, because Jongdae is some kind of freaky angel sent to look over him by the heavens, and has not a single mean bone in his body - this, of course, Baekhyun has learned, only pertains to people who don’t hurt those he cares about, as the many assholes they’ve met in college can attest to.

 

This, of course, isn’t to say that it’s all sunshine and roses. Baekhyun still has worries, and sometimes these worries rear their ugly heads, leading to clashes between himself and Chanyeol. Chanyeol himself, like Kyungsoo had first told him, had his own reasons for being afraid of a soulmate commitment, and in the beginning neither of them had told the other  _ why _ they had been reluctant in the first place.

 

It led to yelling, then cold shoulders that lasted a week. Baekhyun cried into Jongdae’s chest the first day, then sulked about it so much that Jongdae finally put his foot down and dragged Baekhyun with him to Chanyeol’s apartment.

 

“It’s not going to be perfect,” Jongdae reminds him, and he’s thrown back to the day of his first date with Chanyeol. “But that’s why you need to fight for it. You’ll argue, there’s no way about it, there’s no couple that  _ doesn’t _ argue, but you need to make up after. And you can’t, if you’re moping about in our apartment everyday, so  _ talk _ to him, Baekhyun-ah.”

 

He knocks on Chanyeol’s door for him so Baekhyun can’t back out, leaves him on Chanyeol’s doorstep with a sharp glare. Baekhyun takes a deep breath, watches Chanyeol open the door, and hopes for the best.

 

In the end, Baekhyun thinks, curled up in Chanyeol’s arms after they had talked it out like adults, Jongdae was right, as he so often is. Their relationship didn’t have to be perfect, because no relationship was perfect. His parents had theirs torn apart by fights and arguments that never seemed to be able to be resolved, and Baekhyun had taken that as prime example, let it shape and mould his perception of soulmates, twisted it out of control.

 

He knows, now. Knows better, now, how it’s supposed to work. He’ll get into arguments, disagreements, with Chanyeol, yes, because that’s inevitable. Now, he knows that it’s the second part, the making up, apologising, forgiving, that he needs to work on. His relationship with Chanyeol, soulmate or not, would come with bumps in the road that Baekhyun would do his best to smooth out. If they hit that unavoidable hump, then they’d pick themselves up after it, fall into each other again.

 

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun calls, glancing up at his boyfriend. Chanyeol hums in acknowledgement, and Baekhyun smiles to himself, buries himself deeper into his chest. “I’m glad you walked into the coffeeshop, that day.”

 

Chanyeol shifts, and Baekhyun goes with him, sighing happily. He feels Chanyeol’s lips against his temple, then his cheeks, nose, lips, until Baekhyun’s giggling, gleeful laughter bubbling from his lips. He looks up at Chanyeol, then, sees the adoration in his eyes, watches as Chanyeol lowers his head to kiss him.

 

“I am, too.”

* * *

  
  


 

 

_ Epilogue. _

 

“You’re going to ruin your hair if you keep tugging at it like that, Kim Jongdae, and if you do I’ll kill you with my bare hands, wedding or not,” Baekhyun scolds. He’d spent  _ ages _ on Jongdae’s hair, fighting the unruly strands and finally managing to style it up and away from his face, the way he knows Junmyeon likes it.

 

(Don’t ask Baekhyun how he knows; it’s not a memory he enjoys recalling.)

 

Jongdae groans, slumping down onto the couch in his waiting room. “I’m just so  _ nervous _ , Baekhyun-ah.”

 

“Why’re you nervous?” Baekhyun snorts. “You’re marrying your soulmate, the guy who was literally  _ made _ for you.”

 

“Yeah, when Chanyeol proposes and it’s  _ your _ wedding, I’ll be sure to echo your exact sentiments back at you,” Jongdae snaps, pouting. 

 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, even when the thought of Chanyeol  _ proposing _ is making his heart beat out of control. He walks over to his best friend, sitting down next to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Jongdae, look, Junmyeon loves you. God knows why, but he does,” Baekhyun says, grinning even when Jongdae hits him. “You’re getting  _ married _ , because the man wants to spend the rest of his life listening to you snore. So give him some credit, okay? You’ll be fine, and even if you’re not, my best friend once taught me that every relationship comes with ups and downs, so take your own advice, idiot.”

 

Jongdae stares at him, wide-eyed, for a moment, then flings himself at Baekhyun, almost knocking them both to the ground. “When did my little Baekhyunnie grow up?” Jongdae asks. Baekhyun’s tempted to kick him off onto the ground, but Jongdae’s voice is so soft and so gentle that he can’t bear to.

 

“When he realised he had someone out there meant for him, too,” Baekhyun answers truthfully, and Jongdae beams at him, crinkly eyes and brilliant million watt smile. 

 

“Come on, Kim Jongdae,” Baekhyun says, standing up and bringing Jongdae with him. “Let’s go get you married.”

 

Jongdae takes his hand, squeezes it once, and follows him.

* * *

 

(And Baekhyun doesn’t know it, yet, oh no, only has thoughts of Jongdae’s happiness that day in his mind, watching his best friend get married, watches Jongdae’s bright yellow limbal rings clash wonderfully with Junmyeon’s soothing blue ones.

 

Baekhyun doesn’t know yet, of the rings Chanyeol had picked out weeks prior to the event, the one meant for his ring finger hidden in a specially marked slice of Jongdae and Junmyeon’s wedding cake.

 

Oh, Baekhyun doesn’t know it yet, but in a couple of hours he will, when the last word of his best man’s speech has passed his lips, and Jongdae tugs him down into the seat next to him, bright eyed and radiant, telling him to eat his cake.

 

Baekhyun doesn’t know it, not yet, but the happiest day of his best friend’s life is the beginning of his own happily ever after, his own limbal rings a bright, beautiful white, opposite Chanyeol’s fire red, when Chanyeol takes his hand to slide the ring onto his finger.

 

No, Baekhyun doesn’t know it yet, but in future, Baekhyun will look back, fondly, on that day, remember himself in Chanyeol’s arms, Jongdae’s laughter ringing in his ears, and his own happy sobs dampening Chanyeol’s three piece suit, he’ll think that he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.)

 

* * *

 

_ Soulmate: Park Chanyeol to Byun Baekhyun. _

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading the fic to the end! i hope it was an enjoyable read. i am extremely unfamiliar with this pairing, but decided to challenge myself for once, so i apologise if it seemed rather lacklustre. 
> 
> kudos & comments are much appreciated! again, thank you so much!


End file.
